


The calling of the Cloister Bell

by Pearlislove



Series: A rare love story [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bittersweet Ending, F/M, Gen, Pre-Time War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-11 02:10:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13514550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pearlislove/pseuds/Pearlislove
Summary: The cloister bell ring and Gallifrey is calling out, telling its soldiers to man the arms and fight for what is right.What will Josie and The Doctor do, when a a single decision can change everything?





	The calling of the Cloister Bell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [In_time_for_tea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_time_for_tea/gifts).



> So here we are! Only 15 days to write this, a real record! The next fanfic will probably take more time lol
> 
> Very very clearly want to state that I have never listened to any time war/Gallifrey Big Finish audios, and these are absolutely seperate from them!

  
"Doctor, what is happening?!" Josie screamed, desperately trying to make herself heard over the sound of church bells ringing inside the TARDIS, impossible loud and seemingly echoing around the walls.  
  
She could see The Doctor standing on the other side of the TARDIS console, but they seemed to have frozen, just standing in one spot and doing nothing, staring blindly into the wall.

 

“Doctor?!” Josie repeated, the noise seemingly growing and digging deeper into her brain.  
  
"The Cloister Bell is ringing!" The Doctor  answered, suddenly coming to life as they began rounding the TARDIS console, moving around the device, twisting buttons and lowering levers as he went.

 

“So what does that mean, exactly!? And can you please make it stop? It's going to make me deaf!" Covering her ears, Josie fruitlessly tried to block out the shrill ringing noise that by now felt like it was echoing inside her brain. It hurt, and she wanted it to stop.  
  
Seeing Josie’s distress, The Doctor immediately threw themselves at one of the levers, pushing it up and finally quieting the ringing of the bell. Josie was about to thank them, but The Doctor beat her to it as they spoke once more. "Fear.” They said, and Josie had never seen such a haunted expression on their face.  
  
"What?" She asked, dumbfounded and scared. This wasn’t like The Doctor, and she didn’t like it.  
  
"The Cloister Bells means fear. It means the great Bell of Arcadia is chiming, calling out to its brothers and sisters throughout time.” The Doctor explained, patience in their voice but with eyes that shone with panic."Originally, The great Cloister Bell and it's in TARDIS siblings were a sort of communication systems reserved for wild catastrophes and sudden calls to man the battlestations. This, that you just heard, was the original sound used for its original purpose.” The Doctor voice is serious, telling Josie that they’re not pulling her leg, not for a second.  
  
"And what will we do?!" Josie snapped, panic rising inside her as her heart clenched in her chest. Disasters and war had been the last thing she wanted to deal with that day, or any day, really, and it scared her to think it might happen.  
  
"We call them. We call the High Council and the president."  The Doctor said, their grim face telling Josie it was not an easy decision, and that right now they were breaking all boundaries, because there was no other choice.  
  
Nodding mutely, she watched as they walked up to one of the screens on the TARDIS control, clicking on a number of different Gallifreyan symbols on it before picking up a speaker.  
  
"Theta Sigma of Lungbarrow, Time Lord of the Prydonian Chapter, calling the High Council of Gallifrey and High Chancellor and first Lady President Romanadvoratnalundar of Heartshaven. Do you receive?" Finishing their message, The Doctor bit down hard on their lower lip, watching the screen closely. It was black, seemingly turned off, and Josie found herself observing it just as nervously, waiting for something to happen.  
  
With a snap, the screen suddenly turned on, producing the image of a sterile white painted room. In the middle of the picture was a dignified older woman, dressed traditionally in red and gold robes with the markant golden collars completing the traditional High Counsil dressing. Josie had seen pictures of similar outfits before, but in different colours. Blue, green, Purple and now red.  
  
"High Council chair owner Flavia of Prydon responding to the communications request of Theta Sigma." The woman answered slowly, her appearance as dignified as the traditional Gallifreyan clothing she wore. A crooked smile spread across her face as she assumedly saw The Doctor from the other side of the screen. "Hello Doctor, my old friend. It is good to see you alive and well. Handsome as ever, I see. Very nice." The old woman chuckled softly at her own joke. She seemed a very nice old lady, and Her voice was warm like that of an old aunt talking to her niece or nephew.  
  
The Doctor grinned, obviously unable to hold back a strong feeling of happiness despite the dire circumstances. "It's good to see you too, Flavia. Still looking good for being the Twelfth body...or did you get a new cycle? I could have swore you ran out...not that that's particularly important." The Doctor  waved their hand, as though to dismiss the subject, and a much more serious expression settled on their face. They picked up the receiver, speaking into to be heard better.  "Flavia, I need Romana and Braxiatel. Ohila if she's there as well." Their voice was tight with anxiety, and Josie felt a bit desperate herself as she walked up to them, settling her hand on their shoulder in silent support while they talked to the people from their home planet.  
  
The woman flinched, visibly reacting to his request. "Doctor" She said, her voice guarded. "They are extremely busy and can’t soly cater to your needs.” The woman glanced behind her, and Josie had a bad feeling something was going on off screen she was not telling them of. It worried her, because she had heard what The Doctor said the Cloister Bell ment, and whichever way you turned it it was _bad._

 

“I know! I bloody well know they are and should be _incredibly_  busy!” Showing a rare moment of untempered frustration, the doctor hit his fists hard against the console, meaning the woman on the other side of the screen flinch once more. “For goodness sake Flavia, are you an _imbecile_ or did you _just_ forget that all time capsules built after the TT23b are connected to the Cloister Bell?!” The Doctor took a deep breath, before smiling wickedly. “Besides, _you_ still own me for that presidency I granted you in my fifth body!”

 

Josie could see the shock and anger on the woman’s face as they plowed ahead with their speech, finally looking a little embarrassed at the end of it.

 

Frowning decidedly, she nodded. “I’ll get them. Romana and Braxiatel are here, as is Ohila. Bet your brother will be happy to have help with that mad lady.” She mutters, the last part an afterthought as she showed her disgust towards whoever ‘Ohila’ was.

 

Walking off screen, Josie could easily tell The Doctor had offended ‘Flavia’, the posh council member more or less stomping her way from the scene with an extremely sour look on her face. The Doctor, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind.

 

“Don’t worry, she’ll get over herself. Always do.” The Doctor reassured Josie. “Gallifreyan are a posh people. Politicians even more so. Flavia the most.”

 

“I was more surprised you have a brother, I think.” Josie commented, still a little shocked by all that she had heard in the passing between Flavia and The Doctor. Seeing as her partner had never been very forthcoming about the planet that they came from, every scrap of information she could gather was precious to Josie. Especially if it was also about their family, of which they spoke even less - if such a thing was even possible.

 

“A brother and a sister in law.” The Doctor corrected, an amused smile on their lips as they turned back towards the screen. “My brother is shagging the president.”

 

“What?! No way!” Josie protested, laughing. “Your brother is _not_ shagging the president!” Josie repeated, refusing to believe it.  

 

“Well, if you won’t believe them, why don’t you ask us, Tellurian?” A male voice spoke, and Josie jumped. Looking up to the screen, she saw that three new persons had appeared on it. One of them, the one who had spoken, was a tall, dark haired man with a smaller beard. Also he was dressed in regal red like the woman they had spoke to earlier. A proud Prydonian, apparently.   “I’d not like to use such words, especially not in front of your Tellurian companion, but as far as relationships go...Romana and I are indeed a pair.” The man moved closer to the woman next to him - a childish looking girl who had half her hair coloured golden and the other half brunette. The woman in question was wearing a stunning white and gold outfit, and she smiled as the man beside her lay his arm around her, squeezing her waist. Without doubt, this was The President, Romanadvoratnalundar,hence making the man beside her The Doctor’s brother.

 

“Her name is Josie, Brax. She’s not just a Tellurian.” The Doctor commented sharply, giving their brother a stink eye as they turned to smile at Josie. “Josie this is Romana, my former companion, now President of Gallifrey. And then of course my big brother Braxiatel.” They smiled, but it was painful, and Josie could tell The Doctor would rather they’d not have met at all.

  
“Nice to meet you.” Josie smiled, waving a hand at the two of them as her eye caught onto something at the back of the room. Subconsciously, she’d noticed the third person already when she looked at the screen, but first now she took proper notice of her. She was older, short and with grey hair sticking out underneath a red piece of fabric pulled down over her face.  Wrapped in flowing garments and long scarfs, she seemed to be doing her best to hide away from the eyes of others. Just seeing her sent shivers down Josie’s spine, and she wondered who she might be.

 

Beside her, The Doctor was arguing with their brother, and while Josie didn’t follow the conversation, she was listening enough to know they were not discussing anything of particular value. Words like “pregnancy”, “idiot” and “private life” were thrown between the two, The Doctor’s brother’s wife, Romana, occasionally sticking in with sharp remarks, smiling mirthfully at her husband and brother in law.

 

Josie, however, kept looking at the woman standing in the back. She seemed to produce an aura of fright and terror, the horrific emotions reflecting off the screen through with Josie was watching her and into the mind of the onlooker. Josie barely dared to blink, terrified of the repercussions.

 

“Josie, are you listening?” The Doctor’s voice cut straight through the aura of fear having captured Josie, and she turned to look at them. They looked concerned, and Josie could see that Romana and Braxiatel  was now observing her as well.

 

“Doctor, they are three people on the screen!” Josie suddenly exclaimed, almost scared she was the only one seeing the old woman. What if she was going crazy? She didn’t know what to do if she was...but The Doctor’s reaction, however, seemed to tell that she wasn’t, because when they looked at the screen she knew theu saw her as well.

 

Darkness clouded The Doctor’s eyes, his face falling and a frowning replacing his earlier smile. Immediately, Josie knew that she should never have said what she said, because she could see it transforming her partner into something that was scaring her even more than the old lady had previously. Something deep and dark and too twisted to be recognisable, were it not for a glimmer of light still hiding somewhere deep within their gaze.

 

Behind them, the lady chuckled, slowly moving up in front of Braxiatel and Romana. “Finally, the conversation is turning to the real things here in life, rather than clinging on to the stupid mundane family chatter.” A pair of sharp blue eyes glimmered under the red cloth, and she gave the other two people beside her an angry glare.

 

“Ohila.” The Doctor’s voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper, but the old lady clearly heard him as she let out a cackling laughter like a mad scientist.

 

“Been a long time, Theta Sigma. The warrior of Gallifrey is coming home.” Ohila smiled, razor sharp and absolutely threatening.

 

“The Cloister Bell.” The Doctor continued to whisper in that broken voice, and oh Josie could tell she was missing something, something between Ohila and The Doctor that none of the onlookers were privy too. A private thought shared between the two of them, and them only.

 

“Doctor…” Romana steps forth, standing beside Ohila and leaving her partner behind hiding to the left of the screen. Her eyes are shiny and it's obvious that she is just about crying. She looks childish, especially as she is breaking down, the regal outfit all too big when it surrounded her small body and babish face. “Doctor, we need your help.” She gather her wits, and stand straighter. She is proud, trying to be tough, but the glittering tears on her cheeks give her away. “The Daleks are approaching. The Cloister Bell of Arcadia is rigning and the soldiers are preparing for war. For the first time in Millenias, the Ceruleans has agreed to hold court with the rest of the chapters.” She stop talking abruptly, and instead Romana looks to her partner.

 

Braxiatel has moved into the picture again, taking a stance in between Ohila and Romana. “We are calling home every Gallifreyan out there. The Master and The Rani have been forced back. Even Iris Wildthyme is being tracked down across the multiverse. Hopefully, we will get her home as well.” He frowns, and Josie can tell its extreme measures they are discussing.

 

“The Master and The Rani? And Iris?!” The Doctor was in complete shock, and Josie stood beside him, trying to understand what was going on. She knew who the Daleks were, had even met them herself  but she didn’t understand what them turning up on Gallifrey had anything to do with her and The Doctor. If one Time Lord like The Doctor alone could send hundreds of them packing, then surely a hole planet of them should be able to squish the Daleks like bugs?

 

“But what does it matter to us? The Doctor has taken down hundreds of those pepper potts! Surely you can manage a few when you got a hole planet of Time Lords, can’t you?” Josie looked at there three persons standing in front of her. Their faces were like an expressive scale, from the neutral and unconcerned look on Ohila’s face, to the decisive but worried expression on Braxiatels face and all the way to Romana’s stoic appearance with watery, red rimmed eyes that explained more than words ever could.

 

When not even the President of the planet could hold herself together anymore, something terrible was happening.

 

“It’s not that simple!” Braxiatel protested vehemently. “And _Time Lord_ is an academic title, not a species. Those living on Gallifrey are Gallifreyans, and a few thousand of us become Time Lords and Ladies as well. But even so, we cannot defeat them alone. They have stolen of our technology, and now, at long last they got it working as well.” Braxiatel paused, slipping his arm around Romana’s waist. “We are prepared to do all we can to defend Gallifrey, Doctor, but we can not survive on our own.”

 

“I can’t change the outcome of an entire war” The Doctor is tense, his body language almost aggressive as they starred upon their brother. Josie couldn’t imagine how it felt, to be stuck between two impossible choices.

 

“The united Dalek armies are moving towards Gallifrey in ships fueled by time and ripping the universe apart.” Ohila speak, slow and deliberate with her burning gaze focused on The Doctor. “The Time War is beginning, and the soldiers are coming home. All that’s missing for the end to come, is the return of the warrior.” Ohila smiled, a horribly twisted grin. “Tick, tock, goes the clock. We’re waiting for you, Doctor.”

 

As soon as the words left her mouth, Josie could see everyone around her freezing. It was as though time was paused, and Josie was the only one left unaffected. The only one, who by sheer dumb luck that came with being a human being, was unknowing enough that she didn’t know what was happening.

 

Braxiatel spoke first. Though Josie had always thought The Doctor to be a pretty irresponsible and impulsive person, it seemed that oce his brother got going, her could be just as hot headed as The Doctor - if not more. And when he spoke, it was full of anger and accusation, his emotions channeling into unreasonable rage at Ohila. “You can not say that! My brother is not there yet! He...he...he’s only in his eight body. The Valeyard is between his twelfth and last incarnation!”

 

The Doctor flinched, hearing the name, and Romana grabbed onto her husbands arm, holding on tight in an attempt to calm down her partner. “Braxiatel, don’t say that. You know Ohila is just trying to get your upset.” She gave the older woman a dirty eye, frowning. “And she’d do well to remember that we can still send her back to Karn and the rest of the sisterhood, if she does not respect the laws of Gallifrey.”

 

The threat didn’t seem to affect Ohila, however. She just kept smiling, nodding towards The Doctor. “He’s not there yet, The Valeyard is in his future still.” She looks straight at The Doctor, glimmering blue eyes seeing right through both The Doctor and Josie. “But the warrior is coming.”

 

“No.  No, I am not going there. Every step I’ve taken from the moment I met him, is leading me away from him.” The Doctor spoke, his voice surprisingly harsh and when Josie looked at him, she was scared. She wanted to hug him, wanted to hold onto him like Romana did to his brother, but she was terrified. “I will fight this war. I’ve always been prepared to fight this war, come when it may. But I am not _The Valeyard_ , and I Will ñever be _The Valeyard_. Ever.” Their eyes are hard as stone and filled with quiet wrath, making Josie move even further away.

 

She was horrified, but tried to stay strong. A silence had fallen once The Doctor spoke, and the two groups of persons just stood there, staring at one another. No one seemed ready to say another word,, nd even through the screen, the tension between them could be felt.

 

In the end, none of them got to say another word. Behind Romana, Braxiatel amd Ohila, the blaring noise of sirens penetrated the silence, increasing as the Gallifreyan side of the screen started to shake, throwing all three Gallifreyans off their feet and down harshly upon the floor, something much like an explosion being heard too close by the screen being their last greeting before the connection broke and the square became black.

 

“No! No, no, _no_ !” Shaking the screen, hitting it with their fist and pressing buttons on the console, The Doctor tried to get the picture back. It was all to no avail, though, as the screen stays black. Eventually, The Doctor gave up, leaning on the controle and looking desperately exhausted. One last, tired fist hit against the console and they swore. “ _Damnit_!”  

 

“They’re going to be fine.” Josie carefully laid her hand on The Doctor’s arm, daring to touch them for the first time in a long time. She didn’t know if they were really fine, guessing that the better odds were that they weren’t, but didn’t think The Doctor would appreciate that thought.

Feeling her touch, The Doctor turned to Josie, eyes big and bewildered. For a moment, Josue almost thought  they were having one of their bouts of amnesia, and had forgotten her again, but then they spoke. “Right, well, you’re going home then? I’ll be back soon don’t worry...just need to pop over to Gallifrey real quick.” They grinned manically, and began twisting knobs and pushing buttons, preparing  the TARDIS for flight.

 

Bewildered, Josie grabbed on to The Doctor’s hands, stopping them. “What do you mean going home?! I’m not leaving you! You can’t just ‘pop over real quick’ to a planet at war!” She couldn’t believe that, after the overly long and explicit conversation they had just had with his brother, sister in law and a woman Josie still barely knew who she was, The Doctor was going to drop her off in Wales while they charged on into the war. “I’m staying here!”

 

“But, but you can’t!” The Doctor stared at Josie, their eyes wide with shock and fright as they heard Josie’s words. How could she be such an idiot? Inside The Doctor, they felt something. A part of them that had been put under too much stress simple _snapped_ , and all at once their legs gave out under them and they sank to the floor. Their hands moved up to their head, pressing on it as if they were having a headache in a feeble attempt to try and to block out the thoughts running wild inside.“It’s a war, Josie. I can’t risk it. I can’t bring you with me. You could _die_!”

 

“I could but it doesn’t matter, because it is not your decision!” Following them down to the floor, Josie wrapped her arms around The Doctor, pulling them into a hard hug. “I won’t let you just leave me behind in Wales. I won’t be forgotten on Earth like an old toy stuffed in a drawer and never looked at again!” She tried to be kind, but she refused to let The Doctor speak like that. She had never been in a war, but she didn’t think  The Doctor had either, and she sure as hell weren’t going to let them try it out alone. It was one for all and all for one. Now or never, everything or nothing all at once.

 

“I would never forget you…” The Doctor’s voice is weak, barely more than whisper, and when they looked at Josie they saw someone else looking back at them. They saw Sarah Jane’s tear stained face, her failing voice speaking before almost giving out. ‘Don’t forget me’ she whispered, and he reached out for her, but she was all gone. All that was left, was Josie.

 

The Doctor couldn't leave Josie behind. They’d left one companion behind while they headed for Gallifrey once already, and they didn’t have it in them to do it again.

 

Especially not when the chance of returning was so much smaller than ever before.

 

Sighing, they wrapped their arm tightly around Josie’s waist, pulling her close and letting her lean on him. “It’s a war, Josie. It won’t be kind. But I won’t force you to stay behind unless you wish to.” The Doctor explained, leaning in to kiss Josie’s head. “It’s...it’s your choice, love.”

 

“Then I’m staying.” Josie snuggled closer, reaching up to kiss The Doctor on the cheek. “I love you, and if you’re going to Gallifrey, then so am I.  I will not sit home and wait when I know you may not come back.” Josie may not know exactly what was going on, still, but she was holding on to The Doctor out of love, and even though she was terrified, she was not leaving the TARDIS.

 

“I love you. I love you _so much_ , Josie Day.”  The Doctor kissed her, hot and passionate and straight on the mouth, keeping her glued to him as they shared the love between them.

 

Around them, a storm was brewing. Time and relative dimensions were put out of alignment as the war stretched out from one end of existence to the other. It was speeding up, the explosion of crushes realities spreading across the universe and swallowing everything that came in its way. It was coming from The Doctor, for the not-yet-last of the Time Lord’s, all but ready to touch their timeline and swallow it too. But not yet.

 

For just a moment, The Doctor and Josie rested at the eye of the storm, given a moment of peace and quiet as they waited to be caught by the winds and thrown into the danger.

 

Leaning against the console, holding on to one another, they made a promise to never separate. To never let anything tear them apart, not even war.

 

Because they loved each other, and at the end of the day, love was all that would ever matter 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Comments & kudos please!


End file.
